Environmental claim

An environmental claim is a demand for compensation, cleanup costs, or penalties arising from pollution or other environmental damage caused by a ship. Oil spills are the dominant category: liability for tanker cargo oil runs under the 1992 Civil Liability Convention and the IOPC Fund, while bunker spills run under the 2001 Bunker Convention, both channeling strict liability to the registered owner backed by compulsory insurance. In US waters the Oil Pollution Act 1990 applies its own regime. Charter parties allocate this exposure through pollution and indemnity clauses, and P&I clubs cover the owner’s liability subject to the certificate-of-entry limits.